Policies

Find out more about the official policies that affect all individuals involved with the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo:

• General registration policies
• Ticketed sessions
• Special registration types
• Payment policy
• Confirmations and receipts
• Upgrade policy
• Cancellation/refund/transfer policy
• Conduct and liability policy
• COVID-19 Duty of Care

General Registration Policies

Each person attending must register.

• The person attending must be the person logged in to the website when registering.
• If you purchase a Digital Pass Select registration, the person accessing the meeting’s digital content must be the person logged in to the website when registering.
• If your AACC membership is going to expire before the end of the meeting (September 30, 2021), then you must renew your membership at the time of registration to be eligible for the AACC member discount. Your membership is valid for one year from the date your payment is processed or one year from your current expiration date, whichever is later.
• Once you have registered, your fees will not be adjusted downward based on any sponsorship, discount, or any other reason.
• Registration does not include travel and accommodation.
• AACC permits individuals age 16 and 17 with a valid government issued photo ID to register for and attend the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, if accompanied by a registered adult. However, children under 16 are not permitted on the exhibit floor or in the educational sessions at any time.

If you complete a registration on behalf of another individual, you are warranting that you have made the attendee aware of AACC’s meeting policies and that they have accepted these terms.

Ticketed Sessions

An Atlanta All Access or Daily in-person registration is required to attend ticketed sessions, which include Roundtables and AACC University sessions.

With the exception of these ticketed sessions, the meeting's inclusive pricing structure allows Atlanta All Access registrants to access all other scientific sessions for a single flat fee. Daily in-person registrants also get access to all non-ticketed scientific sessions taking place on the day they are registered for a single flat fee.

Ticketed sessions and events are limited to a certain number of participants and are sold on a first come, first served basis. No wait list will be maintained for sold-out ticketed sessions.

Roundtables are limited to 5 people per session with no exceptions.

Registrants may not purchase more than one ticket to a single AACC University course or Roundtable session.

Special Registration Types

Poster Presenters

In order to present your poster in Atlanta, you must have either an Atlanta All Access in-person registration or a Daily in-person registration for the day of your poster presentation.

On the other hand, if you’re displaying your poster online and not in Atlanta, you must have a Digital Pass Select registration.

AACC University

To attend AACC University courses on Sunday, you are only required to pay the session fee. Sunday Daily in-person registration is free.

Non-member Students/Trainees

Students and trainees who are not current AACC Trainee Members are not eligible for discounted registration fees, which are a benefit of AACC membership.

You may join AACC when you register. To qualify for discounted trainee registration, you must provide proof of current, full-time student/trainee status. Trainee membership dues are $40 per calendar year and will be added to your registration fee.

Express Members

Express Members are not eligible for the AACC member registration discount.

Payment Policy

AACC requires full payment of all fees to register. We do not accept purchase orders.

Online registration must be paid by credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

To pay by wire transfer or check, print a registration form and follow the instructions on the form:

• Atlanta All Access In-Person Registration Form
• Expo Only In-Person Registration Form
• Digital Pass Select Form

Confirmations and Receipts

You will receive a confirmation email within two weeks of receipt of your registration form with complete payment. To make sure this confirmation reaches you, please ensure that your valid, unique email is entered correctly during registration. Also, be sure to check your junk email box in case any of our emails are caught by spam filters.

Registrants may view their confirmation or print a receipt online.

Upgrade Policy

Digital Pass Select and Expo Only (in-person exhibit hall access) registrations may be upgraded to an Atlanta All Access (in-person full conference) registration, which includes access to the in-person educational sessions of the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting.

You may upgrade by:

• Returning to the Registration Resource Center (either via this page or the link in your confirmation email) and selecting “Upgrade.”
• Faxing or mailing in a printed Atlanta All Access registration form according to the instructions on the form.

Cancellation/Refund Policy/Transfer Policy

For In-Person Registrants

Expo Only In-Person Registration

There will be no cancellations, refunds, or transfers of Expo Only in-person registration fees.

Atlanta All Access In-Person Registration

Atlanta All Access (in-person full conference registration) cancellations must be received in writing by July 29, 2021. No refunds will be granted after July 29, 2021.

Through September 26, 2021, All Access registrants who can’t travel to Atlanta will be encouraged to downgrade to a Digital Pass Select registration. (Digital Pass Select registrants will have online access to 23 sessions and the ePosters from September 26 – November 1, 2021.)

If an All Access in-person registrant isn’t able to attend the meeting online either, the registration may be transferred to another person through September 26, 2021. To do this, please contact AACC’s Customer Service Center at [email protected] or 1.508.743.8506.

No Atlanta All Access registration transfers are permitted after September 26, 2021.

For Digital Pass Select Registrants

Digital Pass Select cancellations and transfer requests must be received in writing by July 29, 2021.

No cancellations or transfers will be permitted for this registration type after July 29, 2021.

Conduct and Liability

Conduct Policy and Personal Accountability Commitment

AACC is committed to providing a welcoming and productive environment to all participants at AACC-related events. This Conduct Policy applies to all AACC activities, including all official AACC-sponsored events and online presence, including social media. 

All attendees, media, speakers, organizers, staff, and exhibitors associated with any AACC-sponsored event agree to adhere to the following principles:

• Respect common-sense rules for public behavior, personal space and interaction, courtesy, and respect for private property.
• Be considerate and respectful of differing perspectives during the meeting.
• Respect the rules and policies of AACC, the meeting venue, hotels, and city.

Furthermore, by attending the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta, attendees, media, speakers, organizers, staff, and exhibitors agree to abide by and engage in conduct that is beneficial to health and that adheres to AACC’s COVID-19 safety guidelines while at the event. This includes, but is not limited to

• Temperature checks
• Wearing a mask at all times in public areas
• Engaging in appropriate physical distancing
• Not attending the event if you are ill or have been recently exposed to COVID-19

AACC prohibits discrimination, harassment—sexual or otherwise—and bullying against any person for any reason. Accordingly, some behaviors are specifically prohibited:

• Intimidation, stalking, harassment, unwelcome sexual attention, inappropriate photography, or discrimination.
• Abusive, harassing, or threatening behavior.
• Yelling at, threatening, or personally insulting participants or presenters (verbally or physically).

Participants asked to stop engaging in unacceptable behavior are expected to comply immediately.

All participants are expected to alert staff of any dangerous situations, violations of this Policy, or of anyone in distress.

Consequences

AACC may remove any individual from attendance or other participation in any AACC-sponsored activity or event without warning or refund. AACC meeting attendance badges are the property of AACC and must be returned to AACC upon request. 

AACC may also prohibit the individual from attending or participating in future AACC events and, among other actions, may take action related to the individual’s AACC membership and/or volunteer service. 

AACC may involve law enforcement as appropriate based on the specific circumstances.

Reporting

Violations of the Conduct Policy should be reported to onsite event staff (whether AACC or venue security). Some ways to make a report include contacting:

• AACC or security staff in the convention center.
• AACC Headquarters Office in the convention center.
• AACC via email at [email protected].
• Event staff will help participants contact venue security or local law enforcement, or otherwise assist, as needed.

Event staff will help participants contact law enforcement, or otherwise assist, as needed.

Liability

Each attendee agrees that:

• Except as required by law, neither AACC nor its affiliates shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential costs, damages, or losses arising directly or indirectly from the event/activity or other aspect related thereto.
• AACC may update its programming, speakers, and other pertinent details at any time.
• AACC reserves the right to change, amend, add, or remove any Policies, Terms, or Conditions in its sole discretion and without prior notice. If one or more of the conditions outlined in these Terms and Conditions should become invalid, the remaining conditions will continue to be valid and apply. These Policies, Terms, and Conditions apply to all event participants (attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors).

COVID-19 Duty of Care

AACC remains fully committed to holding a rewarding 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, USA this fall. AACC’s priority is always the health and well-being of our community. Our Duty of Care is a living document that will continue to evolve, as we work closely with the Georgia World Congress Center, vendors, and hotels to create a COVID-19 safety plan for 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo attendees.

Read AACC’s full COVID-19 Duty of Care here and our detailed COVID-19 safety plan here.